Ian Boddy & Chris Carter Caged

I have been eagerly awaiting this collaboration between Ian and Chris Carter (from Chris & Cosey) for about a year since Ian told me it was on the cards. These two musicians produce very different styles of music so the possibility of a joint album from them was intriguing. Somehow I expected something very weird to result but this really isn't the case. This album is very easy to get into with some very enjoyable rhythms and should have the widest appeal of any album on the DiN label to date.

Great crashes of sound get us underway and cyclical beats start to develop underneath. These quickly rise to the surface and develop driving us forward getting the whole body moving. Very infectious stuff, I can just imagine Ian bopping away behind his keyboards. At three minutes the beat is replaced by a repeated series of notes with a sort of water droplet feel to them, all very melodic. The rhythm returns again and we continue careering down the autobahn. The track is called 'Concussed' and though the rhythm is fairly heavy it isn't bludgeoning in any way. We float into 'Coriolis' , a rather strange piece. Almost animal like noises erupt from the speakers through which a pulse beats and develops into a gentle loping rhythm. Its all very pleasant and easy to get on with. Near the end things become more atmospheric but this time sounding more fascinating than strange. 'Slab' is the shortest track on the album at just over five minutes. It is extremely atmospheric, full of rumbling drones and ideal for a horror movie.

We spook into the initially rather fluid 'Sub-Aura'. The track then takes on a rhythmic quality without being overly rhythmic- OK crap description but listen to it and see what I mean. This is still very atmospheric but not drifty. There is loads going on and it is extremely inventive, even experimental but without being remotely alienating. In other words they have managed to be creative and very accessible at the same time- loved it. 'Disembodied' is another atmospheric number full of deep, sometimes metallic drones and cosmic shimmers. There is movement all the time, captivating rather than alienating. 'Caged' features a very deep but also extremely quiet bass line, a little like a heart beat. It then starts to develop into a number which could easily have come off the Arc album 'Octane'. Great slow rhythmics making use of unusual but very effective sounds. After a little while a real groove develops but its all so inventive and yet at the same time tasteful, even hip. 'Under-Dud' strips things back to basics, little rhythmic ideas moving forwards and backwards in the mix until a couple of loops one deep bass and the other of a higher register start to caresses the senses without overpowering them - very cool indeed! This album certainly has both feet firmly placed in 90s ambient but it is in a different league to most and with good cross over potential to traditional electronica. (DL)

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